


Ups and Downs

by KDSkywalker



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Older Yuuri Katsuki, reverse au, victurigiftexchange, younger victor nikiforov - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 23:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17109911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KDSkywalker/pseuds/KDSkywalker
Summary: Life is about ups and downs. Yet in the end, happiness is all that matters.





	Ups and Downs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meynara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meynara/gifts).



> This is for Meynara as part of the VicturiGiftExchange2018. Enjoy!
> 
> To stay up-to-date on all my stories, please check out my tumblr!
> 
> [Ramblings of a lost mind...](https://stardreamz81.tumblr.com/)

For as long as he could remember, the only person that Victor Nikiforov had longed to know was Yuuri Katsuki. In fact, it was because of Katsuki that Victor had begun to figure skate in the first place. He had been roughly 12 years old the first time that he had seen Katsuki skate.

At the time, he had been a ballet dancer under the tutelage of Lilia Baranovskaya. Her husband, the famous Yakov Feltsman, had been trying to convince Victor to take up figure skating ever since he had seen the youngster both dance gracefully in his wife’s studio as well as seeing him goofing off on the ice one day. In a last ditch attempt, Yakov decided that he needed sit the youngster down and have him watch some figure skating.

That was all it had taken for Victor to start skating.

As soon as Victor saw 16 year-old Yuuri Katsuki skate in the junior World Championship, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to dance on the ice just like Yuuri Katsuki.

“Mr. Feltsman, do you really think I could skate like that?” Victor asked, wide-eyed as he turned to look at the skating coach while still pointing at the television.

“Just like that, if not better.”

The smile on Victor’s face never once dropped as he turned back and watched in wonder as the junior skater from Japan spun and moved across the ice in smooth, fluid moves.

* * *

 

The next few years were trying times for Victor. The years were full of bumps, bruises and tears as Victor began his quest to be just as good or better than his idol Yuuri Katsuki when it came to figure skating. Due to the fact that he was a ward of the state, there was no issue with Victor becoming the fulltime ward of Yakov Feltsman, especially since the coach was certain that Victor would bring nothing but glory to the Russian Skating Federation in later years.

And glory he did bring.

Within three years of focusing on skating full time, Victor had ascended the ranks of the juniors. At 15, he claimed gold medal at the Junior World Championship and silver in the Junior Grand Prix Final. As he was leaving the arena with Yakov after winning the Junior World Championship, a certain Japanese skater who he had been infatuated with walked into his path.

“Victor Nikiforov?” a soft accented voice asked in English.

Victor couldn’t breath as he nodded yes, a slight blush coloring his cheeks as his long silver hair hid some of the blush.

“I look forward to seeing you soon in the senior division!” Yuuri Katsuki said smiling before walking away.

As the coach and skater watched the gold medal-winning skater walked, Victor began to breath again. His idol, the man of his dreams knew who he was! This was the best day of his life! “Yakov, I’m going to the senior division next year.”

“Not with your sloppy step sequences.”

* * *

 

Victor did in fact move up to the senior division the fallowing season, yet soon found that it wasn’t at all like he had expected. In fact, it was a lot harder. The first few years were filled with ups and downs.

The first two years, he struggled to make any head way in several of the major skating competitions, with only taking medals at the Russian Nationals and occasionally at Euros.

The following year, after coming off a disappointing season, Victor suffered an even larger set back. During the first event of his Grand Prix series, Skate America, the 18-year-old fell on the landing of his triple axel. Not only did he sustain an injury to his knee, he also discovered during his rehab that he had begun to grow taller.

Between the injury and the growth spurt, Victor spent the next few years trying return to his former status. Not only did he have to relearn how to do his jumps because his center of balance had changed, he also needed to make sure that he didn’t aggravate his knee injury once again after his knee surgery to remove the torn cartilage. Eventually, he had managed to work through all his issues to rise back to the top of Russian skating, eventually beating out his own rinkmate, Georgi Popovich.

And with this return to skating, Victor decided that it was also time for a few more changes. The first being to cut his long tresses to a more sophisticated length as well as changing his routines and music to match his new identity.

With these new changes, there was one thing that hadn’t changed. It was the desire to skate with Yuuri Katsuki. The only thing that had kept him going through all his ups and down was the fact that Yuuri Katsuki was dominating the world of male figure skating, winning every competition that he skated in. The Japanese skater was unstoppable.

Finally when he was just shy of his 21st birthday, Victor had made it into the Grand Prix Finals by pure luck.

Luck that the original top 6th finisher became ill and pulled out of competition, allowing Victor to slip in since he was the 7th place finisher. Perhaps there actually was a chance for him to get atop the podium and stand with Yuuri Katsuki. He had been so lost in thought during a practice session that he crashed into someone else, knocking them to the floor.

“I’m so sorry!” Victor stammered out, reaching out to help whomever he had crashed into up off the ground. The figure reached out for Victor’s hand, standing back up. As he helped the figure to his feet, Victor couldn’t help but swoon at the sight of the man that stood before him.

His mystery man was a touch shorter than he was with messy black hair. On his face was perched a pair of blue framed glasses. And behind those lenses were the deepest brown colored eyes he had ever seen. Victor felt that he could melt in those eyes.

“It’s honestly my fault,” the figure said speaking up in a slight panic.

“Hun? Oh,” Victor said being knocked out of his train of thought. He was about to say something else when he heard his name being called behind him. He turned to see Mila Babicheva, a 17-year-old rink mate, making her way towards him. She was participating in the Women’s Grand Prix Final.

“There you are Victor! Yakov has been looking for you,” she said grabbing a hold of his arm. “It’s your turn for practice!”

Turning back to see if the figure he had crashed into was still there, Victor was sad to see what he was no longer there. He couldn’t help but wonder who that had been.

* * *

 

Bringing home a 5th place finish in the Grand Prix, followed by dismal showing at Nationals led to Victor wanting to call it quits on skating. Who was he kidding? He’d never catch up to Yuuri Katsuki at his rate or even skate on the same ice as him.

Feeling that his world was collapsing in on him, another tragedy befell Victor as well as his rink mates.

A heart attack almost took their coach from their lives. It had been the scariest day of Victor’s life, seeing his coach being wheeled out of rink by the paramedics. He had almost lost the only father he had known during his life.

Thankfully Yakov would make a recovery, but it was at a cost. Doctors urged him to retire from coaching, stating that the stress was not good for him or his heart. Yakov hesitantly agreed, but not before his star skaters had another coach lined up.

And he only wanted to best.

The best of the best…

* * *

 

Victor could hardly contain his excitement as the van pulled away from Detroit Metro Airport. His new coach was none other than Celestino Cialdini. Himself and three of his rink mates – Mila, Georgi and the up and coming junior skater Yuri Plisetsky had all been reassigned to Celestino. The RSF originally wanted the former skating great to move to St. Petersburg, yet Celestino had declined stating that his loyalty is to his current skaters. Yet there was always room for more in Detroit.

Not only would Victor and his rink mates be training in America, but also in the same rink as Yuuri Katsuki! Celestino was the coach of the Japanese ace. Victor had been giddy ever since he had learned where he would be training. Even though Victor had considered retiring just mere weeks ago, this change brought about a new surge of wanting to continue his quest to beat and exceed Yuuri Katsuki.

Yes he would be training with his idol, but also Victor’s thoughts drifted back to his mystery man in blue glasses from the Grand Prix Final. Who had the adorable man been? There had been many times that Victor had wanted to go back in time and ask the cutie his name.

The van’s ignition being turned off brought Victor out of his thoughts about his mystery man. Gazing out the window, he saw the new rink that he and his rink mates from Russia would now become a part of – The Detroit Skating Club.

Sure it wasn’t as large as Sports Champions Club in St. Petersburg, but if this was where he would have to train to continue to skate.

“Let’s go on inside,” Celestino said, opening the driver’s side door. “You can meet your new rink mates.”

Victor’s breath caught as he realized that this was actually happening. He would get to meet his idol once again.

And this time he would get to skate with him.

The group made their way into the rink. Several people moved about, but Celestino paid no attention to them. Instead he led the group to the rink’s sideboards as they watched a skater work on one of his programs. The group silently watched as the skater finished.

“Phichit Chulanont,” Celestino said as the young man made his way to the side. “These are your new rink mates that I told you and Yuuri about.”

“Hello!” Phichit happily said. “I hope you like taking selfies!”

Pulling Mila and Georgi into a hug, he quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a selfie. “Perfect!” he happily said.

“Where is Yuuri?” Celestino asked.

A crash coming from nearby grabbed everyone’s attention. “There he is.” Phichit said.

Out of the hallway behind the arena stumbled a slender figure with messy black hair. “I’m so sorry coach! I overslept!” Yuuri said, bowing to his coach.

“It’s alright Yuuri. You deserved it after this season,” Celestino said.

Nodding again at his coach, Yuuri then turned around to look at his new rink mates.

“Hello!” he said a bit out of breath from stumbling into the rink.

That was when Victor noticed the blue rim glasses that sat upon Yuuri’s face and beneath them were the brown eyes that Victor had been dreaming about ever since the Grand Prix Final.

Yuuri Katsuki was his mystery man!

If this was a dream then somebody needed to wake him up…

* * *

 

Slowly opening his eyes, Victor squinted against the harsh morning light. Turning over in bed, he reached for where his husband of a year should be lying. Instead he found the bed cold and empty. Just how early had Yuuri gotten up?

Sitting up and stretching, Victor smiled as the morning light glinted off of his wedding band. If you would had told his 12 year old self that he’d be married to his idol, his younger self would had told him that he was crazy. But it was true.

Pulling on a t-shirt along with a pair of sweats, Victor slowly made his way down the hallway of their house. This was his second favorite part of the house – with the bedroom being his first. It was here in this hallway, that his and Yuuri’s life together was documented.

Pictures from their time training at the Detroit Skating Club followed by numerous medals of varying colors – mainly gold and silver, followed by a few framed news stories. One story announced Yuuri’s retirement from skating at age 28 due to an ankle injury, while another article announced that Yuuri was becoming Victor’s coach. Fate had allowed them one year of skating together, but it was just the beginning of everything. Just beyond the articles were the more intimate pictures of their lives: the selfie from their first date about two months after Victor and the other Russians’ arrival in Detroit, the day that Yuuri proposed to Victor after the younger had won his first Gold medal in the World Championships in Tokyo during the first year that Yuuri had coached him. Phichit had snapped the picture of the two men kissing beneath the sakura trees just after Yuuri had dropped to one knee and asked the Russian to marry him.

This was Victor’s second favorite photo in the hallway. But it was the last and largest photo at the end of the hallway that was his favorite.

It was of him and Yuuri gazing lovingly at each other as the sunset in Hasetsu. It was of their wedding day that was a mere few weeks later. Neither of them had wanted to spend another moment not married to each other.

And while Victor had been through many ups and downs all throughout his life, this by far was the best day of his life. The day he not only married his idol, but also his best friend. Sure there might be a few more ups and downs; yet with Yuuri by his side, he was sure that he could make it through them all.

It didn’t take Victor long to find his husband. Yuuri was standing in the kitchen, dressed in a pair of his soft sleep pants, preparing breakfast for them both.

“You left me cold and alone!” Victor dramatically said as he draped himself over his husband’s back. He pressed a kiss against Yuuri’s neck.

“Good morning to you too, Vitya.” Yuuri said turning his head and capturing his husband’s lips in a gentle kiss. “I wanted to surprise you with blinis.”

Victor smiled brightly at his husband. He still couldn’t believe how his life had turned out. “If this is a dream, then wake me up,” he whispered.

“I promise you it isn’t” Yuuri said assuring him, before capturing the younger man in a deeper kiss.

 

**Author's Note:**

> At the end of the story, Yuuri is 30 and Victor is 27.


End file.
